When I set up my blog after the 2014 referendum, I felt the ‘free by twenty-three tagline was fitting as I believed it would take until then to recover from the disappointment of Thursday 18th September, not once did it cross my mind that those, we put in power to help us achieve this would have been systematically working against us.
Like many who flocked to the Scottish National Party after the referendum I was optimistic of seeing Scotland a free nation in my lifetime. Just weeks after the disappointment of that day, the New First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon took to the stage at the Hydro in Glasgow lapping up the cheers and adulation of a 12000 strong crowd and with the ever-growing membership displayed on a huge screen behind it became apparent that this was nothing to do with Scottish independence and everything to do with the popularity of the SNP as she boasted that “Party membership had grown from 90,263 to 92,187” Still hopeful of independence the country sent 56 out of 59 MPs to Westminster to settle up, not settle down, sadly that was not to be the case, those we put our trust in, let us down badly, soon pushing their own agenda which saw them loose a third of their seats in the 2017 General election.
This should have been a wake-up call to Sturgeon had she not, been (in my opinion) working against the yes movement and indeed Scottish Independence. The EU referendum presented the mandate needed to initiate another referendum and indeed Sturgeon on the day after the result gave a press conference in Bute House:
“I have a duty to respond…to the democratic decision taken by the people of Scotland, as things stand, Scotland faces the prospect of being taken out of the EU against our will. I regard that as democratically unacceptable, and of course we face that prospect less than two years after being told that it was our own referendum on independence that would end our membership of the European Union and that only a rejection of independence could protect it.”
Sturgeon at that time could do no wrong in the eyes on the yes movement.
“Yesterdays results presents a significant and material change of the in the circumstances in which Scotland voted against in 2014.”
The 2016 Scottish National Party Manifesto states:
Scotland’s future
“We believe that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold another referendum if there is clear and sustained evidence that independence has become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there is a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will.”
The SNP were gifted the mandate, in fact on many an occasion Ian Blackford stated that “Scotland will not be dragged out of the EU against our will.” Then sat back and watched it happen. The tell-tale sign for me was when Sturgeon attended the LBGT+ rally in Glasgow stating that it was a “Real honour” I do not doubt for a second that leading the rally through the streets of Glasgow was an honour for Sturgeon, however, she was less than keen to show up at one of the many AUOB marches taking place at the time. When the people of Scotland were gathering in their thousands in all weathers to show their support for independence Sturgeon was nowhere to be seen. The only time she appeared was when she needed the votes of the very people she had pushed aside. The independence carrot dangled once again, only this time the excuse for inaction on independence was the results of Brexit were unknown and when we crashed out of Europe, the covid pandemic put independence on the backburner only to reappeared in the last Holyrood elections when the SNP needed votes one again.
Twenty Twenty-Three was the next carrot dangled until Putin decided to invade Ukraine, another excuse, SNP’s Ian Blackford: “SNP plans for a new independence referendum could be shelved again due to the Ukraine crisis.”
How long are we to put up with this, I am giving them until next year to fulfil their promise to the people of Scotland, no more carrot dangling, Scotland is in real danger of losing everything that we have built, our industries have taken a real battering during the last two years as have the rest of the UK. We have a Westminster government out of control and drunk on power who are systematically dismantling the NHS as we speak, the policing bill is shocking, not to mention the bill of rights. Scotland needs to be free of this draconian government, equally the people of Scotland must hold our politicians to account for the decisions they have taken and that includes the SNP. No more carrot dangling, no more empty promises, quite frankly we in the yes movement are sick of it. And anyone who still believes that the SNP are the party for independence, then you are in for a very rude awakening.
theweedetour 
“How long are we to put up with this, I am giving them until next year to fulfil their promise to the people of Scotland…”
With due respect, given the very valid comments in your article it begs the question, why are you still waiting to next year when you already know the answer?
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You have a very valid point Lawrence, why indeed, I guess the last vestige of hope has not expired yet.
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We have had an entire farm full of carrots danged in front of us since 2014. Every opportunity is seized upon in order to delay independence. What has Ukraine got to do with the SNP’s ability to cobble together a half-decent policy on independence? Zilch! Defence and foreign affairs are all reserved matters. As for leading the Pride Rally and declining all offers to lead an independence march, what is there to say? She is not interested in Scotland or our independence; she is certainly not interested in trying to make life better for the poorest. It is all gesture politics and pseudo woke chest-beating. Look good but don’t actually ever do anything that might rock the boat. If any of her worshippers still believe that independence is around the corner, then he or she needs their bonce examined. She was banging on again the other day about “the most marginalised group in society”. Really? That’ll be why everyone panders to their every whim, then? What a load of nonsense. They have exactly the same rights as the rest of us. They feel marginalized because they haven’t managed to get their mitts on every last space and right that women have. They are the reason that independence was placed on the back burner. No independence until we get what we want. The problem is that they want it all – and that takes time, so, folks, no independence, because it will just get in the way of all that this “most marginalized group” wants. The SNP was only ever the vehicle to what they want; independence never even featured on their horizon, and still doesn’t.
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Waiting another year is a year too long, the Westminster cabal are making every effort to strip Scotland of power and resources, I’m giving Nicola Sturgeon until April this year to confirm her intentions by naming a date and setting the wheels in motion of our independence campaign with their names stamped all over it, failing that my support goes elsewhere and the next general election I will abstain as I do not want any Scottish mps in London.
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